As President Barack Obama and congressional leaders stick to their guns in support of stricter gun-control laws, fear of potential restrictions has sent gun owners across the nation and in the Texas Panhandle scrambling to stock up on ammunition.

With a run on demand and limited supply, local retailers feel like they’re shooting blanks.

“Everybody is looking for ammo,” said David Erwin, owner of Erwin Pawn Inc. “Before, we (stocked) 30 to 50 cases a week and now it’s slowed down to 3 to 4 cases a week.”

In the wake of the Dec. 14 shooting in Newtown, Conn., during which a gunman killed more than 20 pupils and school officials at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Obama administration has urged Congress to enact a ban on so-called assault weapons, magazines with capacities higher than 10 rounds and other legislation. Some states, like New York, didn’t wait for Washington to act, passing their own restrictions.

As gun owners stock up in advance of any new gun-control measures, Erwin said the calibers most in demand at his store are .22 Long Rifle, 9 mm Parabellum, .223 Remington and .308 Winchester.

“The hardest to find is the .308,” he said. “Lots of people shoot .308 around this part of the country.”

Jared Baker, store manager of Long Hunter Shooting Supply, said the hardest part about getting ammunition is not getting enough to sell.

Long Hunter receives ammo shipments about every three weeks. Shipments remain scattered, however, and due to allocation, Baker is unable to backorder supplies, he said.

“There was a time three or four weeks ago when you could not buy a box of 9 mm shells or .22 shells in Amarillo,” Baker said. “I never thought I’d see that day.”

According to Baker, the ammunition most in demand at his store is the 9 mm, .223 and .22.

Walmart is now rationing ammunition purchases to keep up with the demand.

“In order to take care of as many customers as possible, starting Jan. 24, all ammunition sales were limited to three boxes per customer per day, and that’s as supplies limited,” Walmart Manager of Media Relations Ashley Hardie said.

Walmart is monitoring the supplies daily and once the supply issue has been resolved, the company will re-examine its purchase limit, Hardie said. The nation’s largest retailer does not plan to increase its ammunition prices, she said.

Some retailers, though, are more eager to capitalize on the high demand, Baker said.

“The price of ammunition has tripled among a lot of your independent retailers,” Baker said. “People are charging $30 to $40 for a box of 9 mm ammo just because they can.”

Baker said the average price for 9 mm cartridges is between $15 and $19 a box.

While some national reports have claimed federal and state law enforcement agencies have struggled to stock ammunition, Amarillo Police Department range master Sgt. Steve Mitchell said his department monitors fluctuations in prices to get the best deal possible.

“Civilians are starting to hoard ammunition because of their fears that it won’t be available to them, or they’ll be unable to purchase it in the future,” Mitchell said.

“We’ve been watching the market and, basically, when ammo prices go up or down, I’ve been trying to make our purchases by those market fluctuations.”

Sgt. Brent Barbee said the most common calibers used by APD are 9 mm and .45 ACP, chamberings used in officers’ service pistols; .223 Remington for the department’s AR-15s and 12-gauge shotgun shells.

“We tried to stay ahead of possible shortages by stockpiling some ammunition to make sure that our training doesn’t suffer,” he said. “As long as we get our current orders for the next year, I’ll be pretty happy.”

In Austin, at least one lawmaker hopes to use increased demand for firearms and ammunition to make a point about what he sees as government erosion of Texans’ constitutional liberties

On Feb. 20, Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, filed the Texas Gun Ownership Reinforcement Act, which essentially would have made Texas Independence Day, March 2, a tax-free holiday for anyone who purchases firearms and shooting supplies.

Released in a statement via his official Facebook page on Feb. 25, Leach said, “I’m proud to author House Bill 1533 ... It is time for Texas to take the lead in the fight against Washington’s attempts to infringe on our Second Amendment freedoms — and this unique legislation does just that.”

The National Rifle Association endorsed Leach’s bill.

But Marsha McCartney — president of the Dallas-based North Texas Chapter of the Brady Campaign, a nationwide organization that supports gun ownership restrictions — said Leach’s plan shows favoritism to one group of citizens over others.

“I drive a hybrid; why not have a tax-free holiday for people who drive hybrids?” McCartney asked. “At least they help the environment.”

Louisiana implemented a similar firearms purchasing bill and has lost more than $600,000 a year in tax revenue since it passed, she said.

In 2009, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law a bill creating an annual “sales tax holiday” for the purchase of firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies.

McCartney estimated Texas would lose more than a million dollars if HB 1533 was passed.

“There are 800 people who die a year from gun homicide,” McCartney said.

“Austin should discuss a way to reduce that number, keep guns out the hands of domestic violence abusers and felons and ways to keep our communities safer.”

Mitchell said he doesn’t think it likely lawmakers will pass the proposals that have spurred the ammunition-buying frenzy.

“It’s hard for me to believe that a legislature that actually is supposed to represent us and our beliefs out here is going to do something counterproductive to what we want,” he said.

Senior Investigative Reporter Jim McBride and The Associated Press contributed to this report.